Preparation of ceramic pigments by sol-gel and combustion methods

Ceramic pigments are extensively used in the decoration of ceramic wares. These pigments need to be stable (homogeneity, colour intensity, crystallinity) at high temperatures in a glaze. Malayaite ceramic pigments (CaSnSiO5) in this research study have been prepared in two ways: by means of a sol-gel method and a combustion method. The starting substances in the sol-go method was TEOS, Ca(NO3)(2)6H(2)O, SnCl4 and Ni(NO3)(2)6H(2)O whereas in the combustion reaction the same substances with the addition of CH4N2O (urea) were used. In order to elucidate the structural evolution of these pigments with heat-treatment, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used.